Workholder for polishing machines



March 18 1924. 1,487,506

s. BLICKMAN WORKHOLDER FOR POLISHING MACHINES Filed March 25, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet l 4 umran.

11v VENTOR 5/701 31 wm/mw Y r/f itlw A TTORNE Y5 March 18, 1924. 1,487,506

s. BLICKMAN WORKHOLDER FOR 7 POLI SHING MACHINES Filed March 23 1923 ,2 Sheets-Sheet? [N VENTOR 55m 254 mvm MA/ l Wm Patented Mar. 18,1924,

UNITED STATES PATENT volrlcu. I

SAUL BLICKMAN, or FAR ROCKAWAY, NEW Yonx.

WORKHOLDEB FOR POLISHING MACHINES.

Application filed March 23, 1928. Serial No.627,074.

for polishing in the recess of manufacture.

In polishing machines of this class asherel5 tofore constructed the dish shaped metal articles, such as aluminum pans or similar vessels, have been placed on a mandrel usually identified as a head-stock and clamped thereon by a screw operated member usually identified as a tail-stock carriedby arms arranged to swing in such a relation to the head-stock and the work that in order to enable the tail-stock to clear the work in removing the finished piece and impressing a new one, the tail-stock has to be backed off a considerable distance involving consider-,

able waste of time in turning the screw outward before the supporting arms are swung to clear the tail-stock from the work and then turning the screw in again the same distance to engage the work after the new piece to be polished has been placed on the head-stock. In these machines also there is no provision for centering thetail-stock in relation to the as head-stock or the !work so that the operator has to take care to center the tail-stock to the best of his ability before it is finally clamped in position, and since there is no definite guide for centering it is practically. impossible to center it correctly in-the majority of cases, and the tail-stock therefore frequently has an eccentric movement which is communicated to the work. For the above and other reasons the work also frequently slips on the head-stock and this frequently results in injuring or destroying the smooth inner finish of the work, especially since the inner surface of the pan is usually finished with abrasive and some abrasive particles are freeo quently left on the inner surface of the pan so that in case of slippage these particles produce scratches and the piece will have to be interiorly olished a ain. To guard against this diflicu ty it has con customary to wash the articles prior to placing them on the head-stock in order to remove all the abrasive or polishing material, and this introduces an expensive step in the manufacturing operationwhich would be unnecessary except for the defect in the machine above mentioned. The eccentric movement of the tail-stock also rapidly wears the screw producing still greater eccentric movement and requiring unduly frequent replacements or repairs.

Other delays and disadvantages result from the described organization of the old machines which are sufiiciently understood by persons skilled in this art. I

A pnincipal object of the present invention 1's to avoid the above mentioneddifiiculties by providing .a tail-stock which is easily and quickly moved to operative and inoperative positions, and in which a very small turn of the screw is sufficient to clamp the work and. to accurately and positively center the tail-stock in relation tothe'work and the head-stock without any particular attention on the part of the operator. Another object is to incorporate thenovel features of theinvention in the existing machine without elaborate or radical reconyieldably checking the movement of the tailstock carrier and improved latch mechanism for quickly locking the carrier in operative position and releasing it. The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufliciently described in connection with a detailed description of the accompanyin drawings, which show an exemplifying em odiment of the invention. After considering this it will be evident to persons skilled in the art that modifications may be made without departing from the invention, and I contemplate the emplo ment of any structures which are within t e scope of the appended claims.

Fi re 1 is a side elevation of a heretofore nown work supporting and rotating machine of the class re erred to with my invention embodied therein in one form.

Figure 2 is a top plan of the same.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal secwork holding and clam ing mechanism.

pose of varying the 'pitman stroke.

Figure 4 is a sectiona detail of the latch mechanism.

Figure 5 is a sectional detail of the yieldable carrier arm checking or supporting mechanism r In machines of this class as heretofore constructed a yoke member 1 is rotatably mounted ona table 2 and the oscillating movement of the yoke is controlled by a worm ear 3 worm 4 and hand wheel 5. The yo e has a bearing 6 in'which one end of a shaft 7 is rotatably mounted, and near the other end of the yoke the shaft passes through a bearing sleeve 8 which passes through a sleeve 9 formed in the yoke, the bearing sleeve 8 being arranged to reciprocate in the yoke sleeve and being provided with a s line 10 to prevent rotation. The head-stodir 11, properly shaped externally to fit the interior of a pan or other vessel to be polished, is clamped on an outer e d of shaft 7 and a thrust collar 12 may be p aced between the head-stock hub and the end of sleeve 8. Another thrust collar 13 may be secured on shaft 7 against the inward end ofsleeve 8. Shaft 7 is continuously driven from any convenient source of power by gearing 15 including gear wheel 16 which has on an outer -face a channel 17 in which one end of a itman 18 is adjustably connected, the a ustment being for the purother. end 0 the pitman is connected to a block 19, and this block is in turn connected through a rod 20 and cushion spring 21. with a hub member 22; secured on sleeve 8. By the described means the head-stock with the work is continuously rotated and is also reciprocated while the yoke is swung to brin the work in contact with the polishin or liufling wheel 25, Fig. 2.

11 these machines as heretofore made and used the tail-stock is carried by arms swinging froma point to the right of the headstock as shown in Fig. 1, and the angularity of movement of these arms is such that the tail-stock has to be screwed .out a considerable distance in order to clear it from the work when the arms are swung, with the accompanying disadvantages above pre:

.viously mentioned.

My invention includes, as shown in the drawings in one form, arms 30 and 31 rigidly secured to the hub 22 previously mentioned. These arms extend in the plane of shaft 7 from a crossiece 33 so as to provide ample clearance .or the work placed on the head-stock 11. A movable, crosspiece or tail-stock carrier 34 is pivotally mounted in a clevis in arm 31 on. a in 35. The cross iece isprovided with a ug 36 fitting in t eclevisand bored to receive the The,

pivot pin, and this lug is formed with a cam shaped or eccentrlc periphery 37 engaged by the end of a stud located in a socket 39 in arm 31 and urged outward by a spring 40. This arrangement provides a cushioned support for the tail-stock car- 'rier when it is swung outward and dropped,

to check movement of the carrier without shock or injury to its parts.

Inthe upper end of carrier 34 a clevis is formed in which a latclli member 41 is pivoted on a pin 42. The atch member is urged against a stop 43 by .a spring 44. The latch member has a hook or latch proper 45 arranged to co-operate with a complemental latch member 46 formed on the end of a spring bar 47 secured to arm 30 by a screw 48. Also pivotally mounted in the clevis on a pin 50 .is' a latch releasing lever 51 provided with a handle 52. The parts are shown in active position, Fig. 3, with the tail-stock support hitched to arm 30, andto release the arm and permit the tail-stock to be swung away from active position it is only necemary to depress handle 52 whereupon a portion of lever arm 51 adjacent to its pivot presses apart latch member 41 adj acent to its pivot and retracts latch 45 from the complemental latch member 46; and then a slight pull on the handle moves arm 34 out and downward, and t restore the parts to active positon-it is only necessary to move the lever up or to push any part of the tail-stock carrier to active position, whereupon the latch reengages and locks the parts in position.

Located in a central lug of cross-piece 34 is the tail-stock consisting of a screw having at its outer end a handle 61 and desirably provided with an adjustable stop 62 to limit inward movement by engagement with the arm of cross-piece 34. The inward end of the screw is of reduced diameter and the screw member 64 which fits in the sleeve 65 of the clamping member is a conical bearing member 66 fitting in a conical socket 67 inserted in the bottom of the sleeve, and these parts may be made of very hard metal to provide a very durable anti-friction bearing particularly arranged to take the clamping thrust. The. clamping plate is secured for quick detachment by a set screw 68 which has an inward end of reduced diameter fitting in an annular groove 69 in screw member 64. The screw may be formed with a collar 70 fitting against the end of sleeve 65 of the clamping member 63.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. 3 a pan or other vessel is supposed to A latched in position with the clamping plate 63 close to the bottom of the pan and complete clamping engagement is now quickly effected by turning the screw handle, usually only a fractional turn of the screw being sufficient to tightly clamp the pan in place. As soon as the clamping plate engages the work it rotates on the tail-stock or screw 60 and the tail-stock itself remains stationary without any considerable wear due to the rotation of the clamping member. The tail-stock and the clamping plate having its bearing on the inward end thereof are accurately held in line with the center of shaft 7 so that any difficulty in centering the tail-stock above referred to is avoided, and in fact there is no possibility of locating the tail-stock in other than properly centered position, and there is no tendency toward eccentric movement, and other difficulties and disadvantages of the oldconstruction-are therefore avoided in a manner which will'be obvious to persons skilled in the art without elaborateexplanation. Evidently since the work may be accurately and positively clamped in position without eccentric movement and without any tendency to slipping, there is no likelihood that the inner surface of the work will be scratched even if someparticl'es of abrasive or polishing material are left thereon, and therefore the washing operation previously referred to may be dispensed with if desired.

To release the polished work and put another piece in position it is only necessary to disconnect the latch in the manner previously explained, and throwback the arm 34 with its connected parts. "In thisoperation the tail-stock and the clamping member move at first substantially straight away from the face of the work and then down in an arcuate path substantially in a plane of the shaft axis, and in returning to active position the parts move in a reverse direction and there is no necessity of rotating the tail-stock screw in any case more than say a fraction. of a turn to insure tight clamping of the work after the latch is en-,

If after the, latch is released the tail-stock is dropped its movement is retarded and yieldingly checked by the spring plunger 38 in the manner previously explained.

I claim:

1. \Vork clamping mechanism for polishing machines, comprising a rotary headstock, a tail-stock, a carrier therefor connected to move the tail-stock toward and from operative relation to the work in a direction generally inward and-toward or locking means for securing the carrier in active position, whereby clamping and unclampin of the work may be rapidly and accurate y effected.

2. Work clamping mechanism for polishing'machines, comprising a rotary headstock, a tail-stock, a yoke having arms extending at opposite sides of the head'stock, a carrier *for the tail-stock hingedly conrier serving to accurately center the tail stock when moved to active position.

3. Vork clamping mechanism for polishing machines and the like, comprising a rotary head-stock, a tail-stock having a relanected at one end to one of said yoke arms tively rotatable clamping member confronting an outward face of the head-stock, a pivoted carrier for the tail-stock locating the clamping member in accurately centered relation to the head-stock when in active position and arranged for movement in a general direction outward and away from the outer face of the head-stock to move the tailstock away from the work and permit work to be removed and placed upon the headstock, and quickly-releasable latch means for securin the carrier in active position.

4. W drk clamping mechanism for polish.- ing machines and the like, comprising a rotatable head-stock, a framework adjacent thereto, a tail-stock carrier movably located on the framework for movement in a general direction outward and away from the face of the head-stock, a tail-stock having screw engagement with the carrier and accurately centered in line with the head-stock axis when the carrier is in active position, a clamping member on the inward end ofthe tail-stock, and quickly-releasable means for securivllrg the carrier in active position.

5. ork clamping mechanism for polishing machines and the like, comprising a rotatable head-stock, a framework adjacent thereto, a tail-stock carrier pivotally connected on the framework for movement in a general direction outward and away from the face of the head-stock, a tail-stock having screwengagement with the carrier and accurately centered in line with the headstock axis when the carrier is in active position, a clamping member rotatably mounted on the inward end of the tail-stock and quickly-releasable means for securing the carrier in active osition.

6. lVork clamping mechanism for polishing machines and the like, comprising a shaft, a head-stock thereon, a sleeve in which the shaft is rotatably mounted, 'a frame connected to the sleeve, 9. tail-stock carrier pivoted in the frame to swing toward and from the outer face of the head-stock, a quickly releasable latch to secure the carrier in active position in the frame, a screw engaging the carrier in line with the shaft axis when the carrier is in active position, a clamping plate, and an anti-friction bearing rotatably supporting the clamping plate on the in Ward end of the screw,

7. \Vork clamping mechanism for polishing machines and the like, comprising a shaft, a head-stock thereon, a sleeve in which the shaft is rotatably mounted, a frame connected to the sleeve, a tail-stock carrier pivoted in the frame to swing toward and from the outer face of the head-stock, a quickly releasable latch to secure the carrier in active osition in the frame, a screw enga ing t e carrier in line Withthe'shaft axis when the carrier is in active position, a clamping plate, an anti-friction bearing rotatably supporting the clamping plate on the inward end of the screw, and means arranged to' yie-ldingly check outward and downward movement of the carrier. i

8. Work clamping mechanism for polishing machines and the like, comprising a shaft, a head-stock thereon, a sleeve in which the shaft is rotatably mounted, a frame connected to the sleeve, a tail-stock carrier pivoted in the frame to swing toward and from the outer face of the headstock, a quicklyreleasable latch to secure the carrier in active position in the frame, a screw engaging the carrier in line with the shaft axis when the carrier is in active position, a clamping plate, an anti-friction bearing rotatably sup- "stock, a tail stock-screw engaging the car I r er in line with the shaft axis when the carrier is in active position, a clamping plate on the inward end of the screw, and means arranged to yieldingly check movement of the carrier from active position.

10. Work clamping mechanism for polishing machines and the like, comprising a shaft, a head-stock thereon, a frame, a tailstock carrier pivoted in the frame to swing toward and from the outer face of the headstock, a tail-stock-screw engaging the carrier in line with the shaft axis when the carrier is in active position, a clamping plate on the inward end of the screw, and an adjustable stop located on the tail-stock-screw.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 7th day of February, A. D. 1923.

SAUL BLICKMAN. 

